30 



In flocks where infection is known to be present, it is the best phin 

 to begin testing before the pullets have started to lay. This will eliminate 

 the possibility of disease-free birds becoming infected by eating eggs laid 

 by diseased pullets on the dropping boards, ground, etc. 



Keeping Chicks Which Have Hatched Before the Test Has Been Completed: 

 A common mistake made by poultrymen, who wait until late in the season 

 before having their birds tested, is to keep chicks which have hatched 

 previous to the time the test has been comiileted. In every such case the 

 poultryman is cautioned to dispose of all chicks on the premises, provided 

 infection is found in the flock. 



During the 1927-28 season, one poultryman spent approximately $150 

 on retests in order that his flock might be given a negative report, and in 

 the 1928-29 season the flock had 6.64 per cent infection on the first test. 

 A letter from this man stated that all of the reactors except two birds 

 were hatched before any testing had been done during the 1927-28 season. 

 There is little doubt that if he had disposed of all the chicks hatched 

 previous to the making of the test, he would have had a negative report 

 on original test in the 1928-29 season. He has spent $80 in 1928-29 

 retesting his flock in order to secure another negative report. In other 

 words, it cost him $80 to keep the chicks which were the cause of his 

 infection during the present season. 



A similar experience was reported by another flock owner who had 

 13.28 per cent infection in the original test on 340 birds in 1927-28, and 

 was given a negative report at the end of the season, after an inten.sive 

 retesting program. On the original test in 1928-29, 3.44 per cent reactors 

 were reported. He also informed us that with the exception of a few- 

 birds, all the reactors were hatched previous to the first test during the 

 1927-28 season. 



PaUure to Remove Reactors: — Table XI gives a summary of flock owners 

 known to have left reactors in their flocks from jjrevious tests. It will 

 be noted that 26 flock owners failed to remove all of the reactors at the 



Table XI. 



Number of Flock Owners Known to Have Left Reactors from Previous Tests 

 in Their Flocks 



*There were 109 flocks capable of being examined for reactors left in. 



